Hi everyone,

Just wanted to see if anyone else with temporal lobe epilepsy experiences hallucinations like I do.

Mine are quite mild, usually just seeing normal objects moving when they shouldn't be, shadows/figures from the corner of my eyes, and faint voices on occasion. I also often hear people calling for me when they aren't, which is very annoying. :P

When was the last time you talked to your doctor about this?

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tem...6/METHOD=print

http://www.epilepsy.dk/Handbook/Ment...cations-uk.asp

Thanks TheByzantine.
Both articles mention hallucinations at some point. Usually as an "aura" before a seizure, but I just get them anytime.
And I haven't mentioned this to my neurologist yet. I'd like to get surgery because I think it would get rid of my OCD, hallucinations, AND epilepsy, but she said that since I can be controlled with meds, I shouldn't get it.

I knew someone a long time ago who experienced this kind of hallucinations. (like 25 years ago!) I have no idea how she was treated. It does seem like a good idea to report this to your neurologist.

[pegasus]

I work with people with epilepsy. Hallucinations can be part of it but they can be part of something else too so please get it checked out. Medication can control the frequency of seizures very well and a lot of people say that lowering stress levels can help too.

((((((( ohseedee )))))))

[Rhapsody]

Are you sure the issues is coming from seizures? - I ask as I experience the same things you have mentioned and I do not suffer from epilepsy or seizures.

Just to post a bit from a website I found:

"Auditory hallucinations consist of a buzzing sound, a voice or voices, or muffling of ambient sounds. This type of aura is more common with neocortical temporal lobe epilepsy than with other types of temporal lobe epilepsy."

"Patients may report distortions of shape, size, and distance of objects."

"These visual illusions are unlike the visual hallucinations associated with occipital lobe seizure in that no formed elementary visual image is noted, such as the visual image of a face that may be seen with seizures arising from the fusiform or the inferior temporal gyrus."

The first part sounds EXACTLY like me. Problem is, they make it sound like a hallucination can only occur before a seizure, but I haven't had one in 6 months but have hallucinated during this time.

[shezbut]

My personal experience, with temporal lobe epilepsy, is that my auras and behavior during seizures is the same every time.

As years passed, my seizures became more intense and involved. I did have surgery, to remove my epileptic focus 2/06. Just so you know: doctors consider the surgery a success once complex partials and/or generalized seizures disappear. I do have auras (which is pre-seizure activity), not really showing up on EEG's. The surgery is still considered a success ~ as I do not lose awareness (that I know of).

A person's behavior during the seizure depends upon exactly where the electrical activity is occurring in their brain. There are generalities: speech, memory, vision, decision-making, sexual drive, etc. that are known to occur in certain areas of the brain. There is still a lot to learn about brains though.

It's certainly worth mentioning these events to your neurologist. If these events are what typically occur prior to the complex partial, then your medication isn't completely preventing seizure activity. Of course, we are also responsible for taking care of ourselves physically & emotionally. When we're over-worked, we're much more susceptible to abnormal brain activity (auras and seizures).

Best wishes to you!